1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exercise workout support device suitably employed to prescribe appropriate exercise to the user.
In particular, the present invention is suitable for use in a maximum oxygen uptake quantity estimating device, which enables the user to determine his own maximum oxygen uptake quantity easily; an exercise workout support device which shows the upper and lower limit values for a pulse rate corresponding to an appropriate exercise intensity; a portable pulse wave measuring device, which is provided to a portable device and measures pulse rate or other pulse wave information; or in the technique of sending information between a portable pulse wave measuring device and a data processing device, which processes the measurement data from the aforementioned portable pulse wave measuring device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, many people have been exercising for the improvement of their health.
When exercising, however, it is necessary to carry out exercise of a suitable intensity, since exercise below a given intensity level is not efficacious, while exercise above a given intensity level is dangerous. However, it has been difficult to know whether or not the intensity of exercise was appropriate until now.
This is because it is difficult to obtain data for determining suitable exercise intensity, and because it is difficult to promptly and accurately transmit the obtained data. The various factors involved will now be explained in detail.
(1) Data acquisition
Exercise intensity may be obtained by a conventionally known method employing the maximum oxygen uptake quantity, for example.
In general, maximum oxygen uptake quantity (VO.sub.2max)refers to the maximum amount of oxygen taken up by a person (or, more broadly, by a living body) per unit time. Specifically, body size may be taken into account, such that the value of VO.sub.2max divided by the individual s body weight (VO.sub.2max /wt) is an absolute index showing the endurance of that person. For this reason, the significance of the maximum oxygen uptake quantity is extremely high in sports physiology and the like. For example, by employing the maximum oxygen uptake quantity per unit body weight, it is possible to quantitatively evaluate the individual s endurance, making it easier to confirm the effects of training.
There are many conventionally known methods for determining maximum oxygen uptake quantity. However, all have in common the point that a test subject is required to perform exercise of a given intensity, with physiological parameters with respect to the exercise then measured.
These various methods may be broadly divided into two types: a direct method, in which the maximum oxygen uptake quantity is directly determined by measuring the test subject s expiration; and an indirect method, in which physiological parameters which have a high correlation to the maximum oxygen uptake quantity are measured and the maximum oxygen uptake quantity is indirectly obtained from these parameters. In the case of indirect methods, a variety of methods are available, including those that measure cardiac load or lactic acid values which are highly correlated to maximum oxygen uptake quantity, or a method which employs an Astrand-Ryhming nomogram.
However, in the case of both direct and indirect methods, the conventional art requires the use of a device such as a treadmill or bicycle ergometer in order to apply a given exercise load on the test subject. For this reason, there were physical limitations with respect to the number and location of such devices, as well as a necessity to restrict the test subject to the device itself. Accordingly, this was problematic as it applied a psychological stress on the test subject.
Moreover, in the case of direct methods, the device itself becomes very large since it directly measures the air gas expired by the test subject. Additionally, it is necessary to apply an exercise load up to the subject s all-out limit, so that the application of such methods was problematic in the case of individuals who are ill, not in good health or are middle aged or older.
On the other hand, from among the indirect methods, the method in which the lactic acid value is measured requires that blood be drawn, while the method in which the cardiac load is measured requires that systolic blood pressure be determined. Accordingly, these methods are troublesome.
(2) Data transmission
With respect to pulse wave measuring devices which are attached to the arm and can display various information, there are available devices which optically detect changes in blood quantity, and measure pulse rate and other pulse wave information based on these detected results. In these types of optical pulse wave measuring devices, a sensor unit provided with an light receiving element such as a photo transistor and a light emitting element like an LED (light emitting diode) is attached to the finger, for example. Light is then irradiated from the LED, with the light reflected by the blood vessels in the finger received at the photo transistor. The change in blood quantity is thereby detected as the change in the quantity of light received. Pulse rate and the like are then calculated based on this detected result, and are displayed. For this purpose, the device is designed so that a signal can be input or output between the device main body and the sensor unit by means of a connector on the main body of the device, and a connector consisting of a connector material which is formed to the tip of a cable which extends from the sensor unit.
Since the above-described pulse wave measuring device is attached to the arm, if a time measuring function is also provided to the device, it then becomes possible to measure lap or sprint times while also measuring the pulse wave during a marathon, for example. Accordingly, if this data is sequentially displayed on the display of the main body of the device at the end of the competition, reference data is obtained for determining the pace allocation for the next race.
However, in order to carry out a more detailed analysis of the information obtained during a marathon, it becomes necessary to send information stored in the main body of the device to a data processing device which is provided separately from the device main body. However, in the conventional art, a communications cable had to be attached between the device s main body and the data processing device so that this information could be relayed. Accordingly, this represented a troublesome procedure for the user.